Your friends call him by his real name—not his previously appointed nickname. Remember on Sex and the City how “Mr. Big” was the nickname Carrie and her friends gave (spoiler alert?) John for all six seasons? Let’s be honest, we all do it. And once the nickname is officially dropped, it’s safe to say you two are a real couple.  

He’s your plus one to weddings. You don’t even need to ask him to be your date when you receive a save-the-date in the mail. In fact—wait a minute—his name on this thing, too?!

You no longer feel the need to always have makeup on around him. And he isn’t even fazed by your just-woke-up-like this hair/breath/eye boogers. Aww.

You sleep together without sleeping together. You both used to expect that every makeout session would lead to sex, and every sleepover would lead to sex…and every hug would probably also lead to sex. But now that you know you guys have awesomesex on the regular, there’s no longer the pressure to get naked every single time you’re in bed together. You can actually sleep together—and it’s fantastic. 

You’ve completely forgotten about your ex. If this new guy has you so head-over-heels that you’ve forgotten what’s-his-name, then you’re definitely ready for that next step.